Position: Peace Guide, Part-time

Hours: 15 hours per week at school. Up to 3 additional hours per week

during the school year, after initial training, for training, reporting, and meetings.

Schedule: Schedules vary based on school site, however, hours are typically late morning through late afternoon, such as 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 4 days per week. Alternate schedules can be considered.

Due to working in a school, nearly all hours will be scheduled from August to June with possible, infrequent hours in July as needed.

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Pay Rate: Hiring Range: $19.20 – 22.06 Full Range: $19.20 – 25.58 This part-time position is also eligible for the following:

Monthly Cell Phone Stipend: $9.00

Mileage Reimbursement: PeaceMaker Minnesota will reimburse employees and volunteers for mileage driven while on PeaceMaker Minnesota business. PeaceMaker Minnesota will use the standard business mileage reimbursement rate as determined by the IRS. PeaceMaker Minnesota will determine the miles that employees drive from home to their primary PeaceMaker Minnesota work site (Assigned school for Peace Guides), and from their primary work site to home. Miles driven to and from one’s home for PeaceMaker Minnesota business in excess of these miles are reimbursable.

Service Philosophy: Students do well if they can. (Collaborative Problem Solving by Think:Kids, a program of Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry) and students need caring adults in their lives.

Program Purpose & Summary: Peace Guide Services exist intervene in the lives of youth to help them learn to: 1. Resolve problems and conflicts; 2. Build and sustain positive relationships; 3. Develop their self-esteem

The main activity of the Peace Guide is to help youth develop skills in the domains of conflict resolution, positive relationships, and self-esteem. Guides do this by:

· Conducting 1:1 sessions or conversations, or to mediate an issue between 2 students

· Facilitating group sessions such as small groups, classroom presentations, or instruction in a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, like Second Step

Peace Guide help youth to develop the following skills:

· Conflict Resolution: reflective listening; recognizing, managing, and expressing feelings and needs, problem solving

· Positive Relationships: empathy, flexibility, reconciliation

· Self-esteem: recognizing strengths, building support network, practicing assertiveness

Peace Guides help kids to feel listened to, valued, and cared for.

Working Conditions: The Peace Guide will work at their assigned school. The Guide may occasionally need to attend meetings at the PeaceMaker Minnesota office in Roseville, or travel to other Metro Area locations for training or meetings.

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

· Ability to embrace the philosophy that students do well if they can.

· Strong, effective inter-personal skills, including the ability to build relationships with students, school staff, and community members.

· Keen observation skills and ability to identify when youth are engaged in conflicts that they may be hiding from adults.

· Ability to maintain and model calm and patience in high-activity, high-stress environments, such as lunchrooms, playgrounds, hallways, restrooms, and classrooms.

· Ability to utilize the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach to help students develop skills to solve problems and make healthy decisions.

· Ability to listen to and work effectively with students, staff, and others from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences with diverse beliefs and value systems.

· Clear, concise, detail-oriented writing skills to document issues, actions taken, follow up, and resolution of problems and/or challenges that arise with or between students.

· Ability to multi-task, and work in a dynamic and changing work environment.

· Ability to work in a self-directed manner, while recognizing when problems warrant engaging other staff members or the supervisor.

· Ability to facilitate meetings with students and staff as needed.

· Knowledge of and skill in using personal computers and related programs to facilitate word processing, email, and reporting requirements.

· Ability to work on-site at assigned school and occasionally at PeaceMaker Minnesota office in Roseville or other locations.

· Ability to demonstrate and uphold PeaceMaker Minnesota’s values:

o Peace is worth our commitment.

o People and relationships matter.

o Transparency and Accountability.

Required Education and Experience:

Six months or more of experience working directly with students (K-8) in a structured setting with demonstrated ability in helping them solve problems or resolve conflicts, repair harm, and improve relationships.

Physical Requirements:

· Must be able to traverse outdoor playgrounds, lunchrooms, classrooms, and hallways in order to observe and work with students.

· Must be able to adjust one’s height by bending or leaning to interact with students.

· Periods of sitting may be required at times to meet with students or student groups.

Preferred Education and Experience:

· Exposure to or knowledge of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) or similar problem approach preferred.

· Experience working in a school setting preferred.

· Knowledge of and experience applying restorative practices helpful.

Required Credentials / Licensure:

N/A

Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications:

N/A

Supervision:

This position reports to the Peace Guide Services Manager at PeaceMaker Minnesota. The Peace Guide will also have a primary contact at their assigned school.

Responsibilities:

1. Build trusting, supportive relationships with students and staff, so they feel comfortable bringing forward issues and concerns.

2. Conduct 1:1 sessions or conversations with students to help problem solve or to mediate a conflict between 2 students.

3. Conduct group sessions such as small student groups, classroom presentations, or instruction in a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum like Second Step.

4. Build awareness among students and teachers of the Peace Guide’s role and how the role is designed to help.

5. Participate, to the extent possible, in Student Support Team (SST) or similar meetings held by school staff to gain awareness and understanding of students who need additional support and the methods and approaches school staff are using to share ideas/feedback.

6. Teach conflict resolution skills, including language for appropriate and constructive responses to conflict and bullying in various environments, such as the playground, lunchroom, and classroom.

7. Help students navigate relationships and friendships by teaching positive relationship skills like empathy, flexibility, and reconciliation to maintain healthy friendships and resolve difficulties.

8. Observe students in a variety of settings to gain insight into potential issues and work proactively with students to avoid conflicts as needed.

9. Conduct follow-up or check-in meetings with teachers or other staff in order to cultivate relationships, gain insight, and provide high level of service to students.

10. Serve as a resource to the school on Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach, bullying prevention, and funding opportunities available to the school through PeaceMaker Minnesota.

11. Document daily to track type and number of sessions/conversations conducted with students, number of students served, number of small groups or classroom presentation or instruction on SEL curriculum like Second Step, and a meaningful interaction.

12. Complete a monthly report that can be shared with school contacts, funders, and others by Friday of the first full week of the following month.

13. Ensure timely student feedback is gathered and turned in with monthly report by distributing cards to students following a meaningful meeting or interaction.

14. Act as mandated reporter per the parameters set by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, to report instances of suspected child maltreatment.

15. Collect names and email addresses of school staff as needed to help facilitate a staff survey two times each year (December and May) administered by the Peace Guide Services Manager.

16. Request and gather one or more student testimonials and one or more testimonials from school staff two times each year (December and May) pertaining to the value of Peace Guide Services.

17. Attend training and meetings at the school as requested and approved by Peace Guide Services Manager in addition to attending training or meetings required by PeaceMaker Minnesota.

About PeaceMaker Minnesota

To help create a more peaceful world, the mission of PeaceMaker Minnesota is to help schools to be safer places, free from bullying and harassment, and to help youth learn positive relational skills like empathy, respect, cooperation and how to resolve conflicts peacefully.

PeaceMaker provides the following services:

Ambassadors for Respect (A4R) brings individuals with developmental disabilities into schools to teach fourth graders about the importance of including others, Person First Language and of being an advocate for oneself and others.

Books for Peacemakers helps youth develop skills for talking through conflicts, making and being a friend, responding to teasing, and standing up for themselves and others. Students learn these skills through an interactive presentation or by reading, discussing and writing about a book. Students can keep the book, helping to sustain the skills learned and further an interest in reading.

Peace Guide Services provides part-time staff, called Peace Guides, to intervene in the lives of youth to help them learn to: 1. Resolve problems and conflicts; 2. Build and sustain positive relationships; and 3. Develop their self-esteem.

Our vision is for all kids – in every community – to learn to be peacemakers. Our strategy is to support more school employees, students, and others in teaching kids to be peacemakers. We strive to be leaders in violence prevention education and generators of support for helping youth learn to be peacemakers. Founded in 1998, PeaceMaker Minnesota meets all standards of the Charities Review Council, earned a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, and is a giving option for the State of Minnesota Employee Fund Drive.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At PeaceMaker Minnesota, our mission is to help schools to be safer places for everyone. We honor and celebrate diversity within the people and communities who make that possible: partner schools, students, staff, volunteers, Board of Directors members, interns, vendors, community partners, and others. We call on one another to demonstrate and utilize the skills our programs and services aim to develop in young people: empathy, respect, cooperation, and peaceful conflict resolution.

We work to maintain an inclusive environment in which those we work with feel welcomed, included, heard, respected, and valued. Including diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives helps to generate innovation and progress, making our organization stronger and leading to better services and programs for the people and communities we serve.

This position description outlines the general nature and level of work performed by people employed in this position. The mission of PeaceMaker Minnesota requires that employees demonstrate flexibility in terms of accepting and sharing other, sometimes unforeseeable responsibilities as well as those described in this description. Date: August 28, 2020 DM/HD; 6.25.2021, DM/HD; DM/HD, 7.6.22; 09.21.2022, 07.06.23; 10.13.23, HD, 1.18.24; HD 4.2.24 (pay rate / retirement)

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $19.20 - $22.06 per hour

Expected hours: 15 – 18 per week

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Schedule:

• Day shift
• No nights
• No weekends

Application Question(s):

• Do you have six months or more of experience working directly with students (K-8) in a structured setting with demonstrated ability in helping them solve problems or resolve conflicts, repair harm, and improve relationships?
• Have you submitted a cover letter for this position?

Work Location: In person